The Maestro Shaukat Manzoor. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID.
Known for his soft vocals and subdued expression, the maestro Shaukat Manzoor was at his most animated as he performed at the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on Friday evening. The sizable gathering comprised mainly literature buffs, academics and music connoisseurs from the twin cities.
Accompanied by Nazakat Ali on tabla and Amanat and Ashiq Ali on harmonium, Manzoor rendered melodies effortlessly, improvising with dramatic gestures and pauses and interspersing the successive performances with a dash of humor, keeping the session interactive and lively.
The ensemble of musicians presented a number of classical tunes such as “Haji log makkay nu janday”, “Tere ishq nachaya”, “Saanson ki mala” and “Yaad layi hai dhadi ishq atish” as requests kept pouring in one after the other. While the smiling maestro struggled to keep up with the deluge of requests directed at him, he attempted to entertain as many as he could within the limited time allotted to him.
In the opening act, vocalist Mushtaq Raza rendered some verses from the famous poem “Saiful Malook” which has immortalised a mythical folk tale. Although the audience could relate to the essence of the poetry, there was some echo and distortion in the sound system which made Raza’s voice nearly in-decipherable in certain places.
In a foreword, PAL Chairman Abdul Hameed explained the motivation for organising the function, saying the universal message of sufism and its values of love, peace and humanity have been propagated by all religions and they must be adopted to promote a positive image of the country.
Moreover, the writer Ali Akbar Abbas highlighted the many dimensions of mysticism that lure the listener for their soulful content. He illustrated the examples of mystic poets who have left a lasting impact on all of mankind. These include Shah Shams Tabraiz, Rumi, Nizammuddin Aouliya, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain.
“It has become ever so crucial to incorporate the message and values of the mystics in everyday life and music is an accessible tool that can help to achieve this,” said Huma, an audience member. Artistes and performers such as Manzoor should be given more outlets and incentives where they can be heard and appreciated more, she added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2014.
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